Friends of Markeaton Park was founded in 2008 with the purpose of helping to improve the amenities and to provide activities to enhance public enjoyment of the Park. Amenities were and are improved by balsam pulling, litter picking and weeding the rockery. Activities such as veteran tree counting, pond dipping , bird walks, fungus forays and history walks were and are provided for the public.

From 2014 we were granted the lease of the walled garden. While the bothy exterior has been restored using Heritage Lottery money as part of the wider restoration of the park landscape, the ground area is maintained by us. This has given us a base from which to organise our activities and the opportunity to use the space and the adjoining community hall in activities such as craft fairs, wreath making and ghost walks. Primarily however , we are attempting to make the garden a place for the public to visit and enjoy, to purchase home produced produce and plants and to give people the opportunity to volunteer.

In 2016 the City Council was granted a Love Your Park award in recognition of our activities and the Park was granted a Green Flag award. Recently we were awarded charity status and we are currently working out new management structures. At present we are run as a board of Trustees assisted by Associate members and volunteers.

Our Charity number is 1168828

And our stated objectives are :

1)To promote the conservation and protection of Markeaton Park, Derby, Derbyshire for the benefit ofthe local community and visitors, in particular but not exclusively by managing and restoring the Victorian Walled Garden;

2)To advance education in environmentally friendly gardening skills and horticulture and by providing guided walks, workshops and conservation projects, which will raise awareness of environmental issues; and

3)To provide or assist in the provision of facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social circumstances with the object of improving their conditions of life